The black sky met the 16 acres of land the Renwicks owned in Hillsboro, 45 miles south of St. Louis.

From her bathroom window, Annette Renwick could no longer see the two horses, five sheep and 11 chickens the family had acquired during the past 16 years.

The next day, the family was leaving for good. They were moving to Columbia.

The Renwick family sold their animals, left the in-ground swimming pool and the home they had built upon 16 acres of land to move from the farm to the city — a place where people live closer together, sit in traffic and wait in long lines at grocery stores at 6 p.m. on weeknights.